Phoenix Suns - Weekly Roundup - Week 18
- Matt Elvy
- Apr 26, 2021
- 5 min read
Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 18: 19 April - 25 April 2021
Week Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 42-18. 2nd in Western Conference & NBA.
Games Played and Results:
W - 128 - 127 Vs Milwaukee Bucks OT
W - 116 - 113 Vs Philadelphia 76ers
L - 86 - 99 Vs Boston Celtics
L - 119 - 128 Vs Brooklyn Nets
In the 1st week of our toughest stretch of the season, the Suns have a 2-2 record. With the level of competition they've been facing, I think this is a respectable record.
The week started with a huge overtime win against the Bucks. This was such a fun game and the 2nd time we'd beat the Bucks by 1 point this season. Deandre Ayton was great in that game, doing the best he could to slow down Giannis. He did a good job forcing him in to many tough shots and that's all you can do against the reigning 2-time MVP.
A friendly elbow tap from former Sun PJ Tucker clinched this one for us and you can read the full review here.
The win over the Philadelphia 76ers was another great game. Though MVP candidate Joel Embiid played amazingly and almost sent the game to overtime with full court shot attempt, the Suns were able to come out on top. Ayton had another strong defensive showing, something that is become a very regular occurrence. Read more about that game here.
Our 1st loss of the week came against the Boston Celtics. Neither team played well, but the Suns were the flatter of the 2. The team had no energy, which can definitely be attributed to the previous 2 games and this being the 2nd night of a back-to-back. Kemba Walker put on an offensive show and the Suns struggled mightily from the 3 point line. After the poor showing, where they failed to score more than 100 points for a good for only the 3rd time this season, a rest is what the team needed.
The Nets were the last game of the week and the Suns continued to struggle from the 3-point line, especially in the 2nd half when they only managed 4. Ayton had another great game, as the Nets had no answer for him, but we were simply out-gunned in this match-up. You can read all about it here.
Something that didn't help in the 2 losses, was that Jae Crowder was out with injury. He is such a key cog to this team and they sorely missed his defense, veteran leadership and although it can be spotty, his 3-point shooting as well.
Superstar Watch:
Booker - 25.3 Points, 4.1 Rebounds, 4.5 Assists, 0.9 Steals, 48.2 FG%, 34.9 3PT FG%, 3.2 Turnovers
Chris Paul - 16.0 Points, 4.6 Rebounds, 8.7 Assists, 1.4 Steals 48.6 FG%, 37.7 3PT FG%, 2.2 Turnovers
Scorching Suns:
Chris Paul
No one stood out considerable on the offensive end this week. For me it came down to Deandre Ayton and CP3. I've settled on Paul as he shot over 50% from the field, from 3 and scored over 20 in all but the Nets game.
For the week he averaged 21.5 points on 51.6 FG%, 50 3PT FG%, 5.5 rebounds and 9.3 assists.
Honourable Mention:
Deandre Ayton
We mainly saw a defensive minded Deandre Ayton this week, but he still contributed efficiently on offense. He averaged 15 points on 66.7% from the field, 10 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block per game.
Struggling Suns:
Dario Saric
Dario still seems to be in a funk, which started leading up to the trade. He had a good week or so, but has been struggling again.
He's only averaged 3.7 points, shooting 25% from the field and 0% from 3 on 3 attempts.
Dario plays out of his true position at the 5 and we've recently been facing big and athletic guys at that position. His shooting, even when open has also suffered. As discussed in this section before he seems to have bouts of confidence issues. We're rooting for you Dario!
Stat Line of the Week:
Deandre Ayton vs Brooklyn Nets
Though it came in a loss, DA was great all around in the game. He used his size to get exactly what he wanted on the offensive end, including a season high 8 offensive rebounds. He was also passing excellently to team mates, creating open looks.
Game stat line:
20 Points, 13 Rebounds (8 Off.), 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 9/12 FGs (75%).
Honourable mentions:
Chris Paul Vs Milwaukee Bucks or Philadelphia (I couldn't choose)
Bucks - 22 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists, 10/20 FGs (50%), 2/4 3PT FGs (50%)
76ers - 28 points, 8 assists, 10/17 FGs (58.8%), 5/8 3PT FGs (62.5%)
Rookie Watch:
Jalen Smith - 1 game this week.
Smith played just 1 minute in the loss to the Nets, when Monty Williams pulled the starters out of the game for good. He took only 1 shot and missed.
Season Stats
21 Games, 4.4 mpg, 1.2 Points, 0.9 Rebounds, 0.1 Assists, 0.1 Blocks, 0.1 Steals, 36.7 FG%
Ty-Shon Alexander - 0 games this week.
Ty-Shon didn't log any playing time this week.
Season Stats
9 Games, 3.2 mpg, 0.7 Points, 0.6 Rebounds, 0.1 Assists, 0.1 Blocks, 20.0 FG%
Upcoming Games:
We have 4 games this week.
We start the week today, still in New York, to face the Knicks (34-27). They are currently on a 9 game (yes, the Knicks) winning streak, with All-Star forward Julius Randle leading the charge. I personally want us to be the bad guys who break this streak, 1 - because I'm mean and 2 - we can't have 3 losses in a row. It's in the Madison Square Garden, so look for Booker to try and put on a show.
We then head back home to Phoenix and face the Clippers (43-19). Only percentage points are currently keeping us ahead of LA in the Western Conference standings for 2nd place. The Clippers have been playing great basketball since the All-Star break and have defeated us in the previous 2 meetings this season. I'm hoping for win here as a confidence booster, because it's looking likely we could meet them in the 2nd round of the Playoffs.
Friday sees another tough day in the office as the league leading Jazz (44-16) come to Phoenix. Utah secured their playoff birth at the weekend and have been playing great all season long. We've come out on top of both match-ups so far this season, so they'll be gunning for us in this upcoming game.
For the final game of the week we're back on the road, where we'll be visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder (20-40). As of writing they're on a 13 game losing streak. They're a very young side and an easy win here will finish the week off nicely. Unless we have a traditional Suns breakdown, then it'll be a massive downer to end the week on.
I'm predicting that we go 3-1 this week, with the 1 loss coming against the Utah Jazz.
Any Other Business:
More History making for CP3 - 5th in assists
On Monday night facing the Milwaukee Bucks, Chris Paul passed the legendary Magic Johnson on the NBA All-time assist list, for 5th place.
He got the assist to pass Magic on an outlet pass to Booker, who slammed it home hard on the break.
Go On My Suns!
There was no episode this past Friday. We had no guest scheduled, so I decided to take a Friday off.
Thanks for your continued support with this little venture and we should be back this Friday with a new guest at 7pm (UK time).
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